#transformationtuesday

Oh IG and twitter and your numerous hashtags. Some that I don't even understand and have to google for an explanation (yup I am that pathetic at times). Well this one, #transformationtuesday has intimidated me for a long time. Why you ask, would a silly hashtag bother me? Well....

I was scared.

I was scared that my transformation wasn't good enough to use the hashtag. Lame yes but self-confidence issues don't just vanish overnight?  Seriously, past self-esteem and self-confidence and stuff doesn't just go away. I still see the Megan who was at her heaviest and I need to work on that. But that's another post for another day, maybe another hashtag????

But it's the truth.

That old feeling of what I have accomplished doesn't compare to what others have. 

That's not the point though.

The point is, I am darn proud of what I have accomplished as well as the friends I've made along the way and what they have accomplished.

So without further ado, my first post for #transformationtuesday

These pictures are about a year apart exactly. The one on the left, April 2013 at Reagan's baptism. I was about 4 1/2 months postpartum. The one on the right, taken this morning at 4:50am. Yup I look hot going to the gym.

Put these side by side and I am simply amazed at the progress I have made. I am no where near finished but seeing this gives me the motivation to keep going!

Non Scale Victories

The scale and I are not friends. I mean if we really want to get down to it, we hate each other. Almost as much as I hate burpees. I like burpees a little bit more than the scale because burpees make me feel good when I get them done. Like heck yea I just did 25 burpees. I never feel that way after getting off the scale. Even when it goes down I don't jump off and say heck yea scale I like you today. I think hmm what could I have done better to make that number even smaller?

Lately though, I haven't given a crap what the scale read. I've been more focused on other victories.

For example, pants that have been in the back of my closet that I couldn't get past my knees now go over my thighs and almost past my hips. Jeans that are getting too big. Shirts that look sloppy. I love all these clothes that aren't fitting, except, I gave up shopping for non necessities for Lent. So even more reason to keep pushing myself so I can have a good shopping spree this spring!

Another non scale victory is my energy. No longer am I trying to get as much sleep as possible. Well, except for the nights when Reagan doesn't feel the need to stay asleep all night. Or like the other night when we went on a drive to get her to fall asleep. So when she is back to being the great sleeper I can go to bed around 10 and get up around 4:30-5:00 go workout and then go about my day without getting the mid morning yawns or mid afternoon slump. I will say that spark has helped with that too. Eating better and getting all my vitamins and minerals from my MNS packets is also key. I know having more energy makes me a better mom, wife and person in general. No longer do I need my diet coke before I wake up and am functional. My early morning workouts are way better than that diet coke ever was!

Another victory is how much stronger I am getting every day. I've always been strong but now it is apparent. When I started working out I was grabbing 7's for my heavy weights. Now it is 10's sometimes 15's depending on what we are doing. I'm not afraid to lift heavy (no woman should be afraid to lift heavy, ever!), it is so empowering. I've done hanging leg raises, full out push-ups and wall sits for over 2 minutes. The strength I've gained isn't just in my muscles, I've also gained strength in myself. I know that I can do whatever I set my mind to.

No longer am I afraid of failing. I know that this time, I've made the change for good.

Weekends

Weekends are my favorite. Time to unwind, regroup and major family time. Weekends can also be hard on your lifestyle change. I refuse to say the word diet because this isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle change. Diets end and diets fail. This isn't going to end and these choices I'm making aren't going to fail, plain and simple!

Okay now that I've gotten that off my chest back to the point of this post.

Weekends are also a great time for me to meal prep. I can get my breakfasts (when I don't do a meal replacement shake), lunches and sometimes dinner made ahead of time so all I have to do is put it in the crock pot or warm it up. This has been huge in helping me stay on track health wise and financially. I would really hate to know how much money I have dropped on getting my lunches from fast food restaurants, pizza places, etc over the last 5 years since I've been working at my current job. Like, I think it would make a huge dent in my student loans if I were to add it up!

Meal prepping at first seemed expensive because I dropped a chunk of change at the grocery store but now I can go to the store, spend $75 and eat for a week and half. This has also cut way back on Matt and I eating out during the week, which also saves a ton of money.

Typically, my meal prepping starts with cooking my chicken breasts in the oven. Usually it is either chicken that my parents have raised or ones that I buy in the store, a pork roast or beef roast in the crock pot, sausage and eggs.

The sausage and eggs I make into my breakfast wraps. Most of the time they are simply, sausage, eggs and cheese because this is all Matt likes in them. If I get ambitious I will cook up some onions and peppers and add those to another batch just for me! I put the cooked sausage and egg into the egg roll wrapper, roll and bake till golden brown. Then I put them in the freezer and grab out what I need. A minute or so in the microwave and voila, a quick hot breakfast packed full of protein.

I am by no means a food photog they are usually taken on my phone too so no fancy camera used

Another item I love to make on the weekends and have it for quick lunches are my buffalo or BBQ chicken roll-ups. So quick and easy and delish! The only way I could make them better would be to make my own sauces but I use what I have and that is Frank's Red Hot or any BBQ sauce. I shred up the chicken, put it in a zip lock bag, add the sauce and shake what your mama gave ya! Roll them in the egg roll wrappers, bake and enjoy.

I've also become a big fan of the frozen recipe ready vegetables that you can buy the onions, peppers, mushrooms all ready to go into the pan. Makes it so easy and there is no waste because what you don't use goes back in the freezer.

I used to think the weekends were for relaxing, catching up on house work and not cooking. Now, I've changed my thinking and try to keep the house picked up during the week and do a lot of my cooking on a Saturday or Sunday and I have more time to spend with my family.

Stumbling

These past 2 weeks have been rough. By rough I mean I feel like I have been pulled into a million different directions without a plan or time to even consider making one. Sounds like an excuse, yes it is but it is also real life.

The bootcamp challenge at the gym ended on Valentine's day. Just in time for my date with George Strait! Well, my husband had to go as well =). My results from that challenge included 19lbs gone (not lost because I don't intend to find them again) and 27.75 inches gone. With results like that, I came in third place! First time the last couple of boot camps at the gym I placed!

The following week I was at a conference. I was driving back and forth. I was able to plan some snacks (strawberry almonds, grapes, protein bars etc). However, lunch and dinners were hard. I took my MNS packets and had my carb ease and fibo trim, yet it didn't seem like enough. The nice part about driving back and forth was that I was able to keep up with my workouts. The eating probably wasn't as bad as a I think it was but I still didn't have complete control and I didn't really like that! If that week taught me anything, it shows that I love having control over my choices.

This past week, the sickness has hit our house. Reagan got sick on Saturday night. 3 or 4 baths and bed changes later we were finally able to go to sleep. Then Matt got sick. He of course was dying as most men do when they are sick. So far I have been able to avoid that end of the sickness. Then yesterday, Reagan tested positive for RSV. So today, I am home with her. At least I know that I am control of my choices today.

When things get stressful, I want to turn to food. Not because it will make the stress go away but because I think that it fills me. It gives me something to focus on. And that, that is the hardest part of my past to move on from. Eating when I am stressed has been my go to for so long and I thought I had conquered it until things like this pop up. I feel like it drags me back 10 steps.  I know no one is perfect and stress gets to all of us no matter how much we try to avoid it but somehow it doesn't seem to effect others like it does me. I feel kind of like an addict who has been clean for so long then you get one whiff of  your trigger and it drags you back in.

But this time, I won't be staying back here. I won't let this turn of events keep me from achieving my goals! I know what I need to do and like Scarlett O'Hara said in Gone With the Wind, "after all tomorrow is another day."

Results!

24 day challenge results

Megan
Total Inches Lost- 17.5
Total Pounds Lost- 11
Feeling- Amazing

Mom
Total Inches Lost- 14.5
Total Pounds Lost- 4
Feeling- Can't wait to do it again!

Want to feel better about yourself, get healthy and have more energy. The 24 Day Challenge is a great place to start. I would love to help you become the best version of you!

Source- Pinterest

Day 24

Last day! Seriously the last day! This challenge has been just that a challenge but I think I kicked butt. I will say having the accountability of this blog, tracking my food in MFP and having the team support made it possible.

Food Choices

Breakfast- Sausage links

Lunch- Chicken cutlets. I bought some on Saturday night and have been letting them marinade in italian dressing and pulling them out and cooking them as needed. So easy and so delicious.

Supper- Pork Loin with a few mashed potatoes.

Snacks- Peanut butter and I did have a few ready bake chocolate chip cookies

Water- 172 BOOM!!!

Exercise- The gym was closed due to weather (I had a snow day from work as well) so no 2 a day :( but I did play with Reagan and clean.

Will post results soon!!

Day 23

Today was a bad day. Like bad. But I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't record it.

Food Choices

Breakfast- Amazing Chobani strawberry bowl

Lunch- Almond crusted chicken. Broccoli, Then the down hill spiral started. I had some ranch with my chicken and I was still hungry so I had a scoop of peanut butter.

Supper- Matt wanted steak so we had steak and I had some potatoes. Along with an ice cream bar :(. Also for whatever reason, I got into the peanut m & m's and COULD NOT STOP!

Snacks- Strawberries, strawberry almonds and fun size m & m's and snickers. I was on a chocolate binge and just couldn't be stopped.

Water- 50oz yea like I said, crappy crappy day

Exercise- Spin sculpt in the morning. I should have gone to the evening class as well if I was going to eat like that!

I had a bad day. I could see exactly what I was doing and I did it anyways. However, one bad day does not take away from all the good that I have done so far. Life goes on and I just make better choices the next day.